UK offers help to India to build smart cities

UK offers help to India to build smart cities

India’s smart cities mission is now attracting global attention – with the UK offering to help in realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to create 100 sustainable and technologically advanced smart cities across the country.

Lord Francis Maude of Horsham, minister of state for trade and investment launched a report that brought together the very best of what the UK has to offer in delivering smart cities, with an understanding of where it can best support India. Areas of cooperation, the report reveals where US expertise can come into play include physical (infrastructure including mass transport, water, waste management, built environment), digital (ICT, data, software, analytics and smart metering), commercial (professional services, regulatory standards, financing and legal), and social (municipal services, community-led designs and services, e-governance, healthcare), in line with the four pillars mentioned in the Government of India’s draft framework for Smart Cities.

The report, India’s Smart Cities Programme – The UK offer to build together, was commissioned by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) India from Ernst &Young to scope the potential opportunities for both UK and Indian companies vis-à-vis the new Indian cities.

Presenting the reporting to union minister of state for commerce and industry, Nirmala Sitharaman, Lord Maude said, “As India embarks on its ambition to build 100 smart cities, the UK hopes to be an invaluable partner. We look forward to sharing our expertise in building smart cities with India. We take this opportunity very seriously and this report by UKTI scopes the opportunities where Britain can best support India's aspirations.” The report analyses the strengths that UK companies have to offer India in delivering its ambitious smart cities programme.

“India has an ambition to create 100 new smart cities, and the UK can help, it says, adding, “... UK companies need to demonstrate to India that they understand Indian needs and have strengths to offer, and present the opportunities clearly to Indian partners or the Indian authorities to get them interested. Based on an analysis of UK strengths against the current skills gap in Indian smart cities,... there are significant opportunities for UK companies to engage in the Indian Smart City market.”